Author: NBA Basketball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

Sixers waive Ricky Council IV, open up roster spot originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers on Friday announced that they’ve waived Ricky Council IV.

Council’s 2025-26 season salary of approximately $2.2 million would not have become guaranteed until Jan. 10.

The 23-year-old wing first joined the Sixers as an undrafted free agent in 2023, signing a two-way contract. He had several impressive performances his rookie season that displayed immense athleticism and confidence.

Remarkably, Council led the injury-ravaged Sixers last year with 73 games played.

However, he only averaged 17.1 minutes and made two G League appearances for the Delaware Blue Coats. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse was publicly critical at times of Council’s play, including his rebounding.

“That’s really his forte, to play in the open floor,” Nurse said on Jan. 9. “We certainly are trying to encourage that from him. The biggest concern I have on that, however, is he’s got to get the rebound to do it. My big emphasis point for him and one of the things he needs to do more and better is rebound on both ends. 

“He can jump, he’s quick, he’s athletic, and that makeup should result in some more rebounding at both ends for him. Really trying to get him to get on the glass more so he can do more of that.”

Council’s shot selection and overall decline as a jump shooter were clear issues. He went 38.2 percent from the floor and 25.8 percent from three-point range last year.

After waiving Council, the Sixers are at 13 standard contracts, which is two below the maximum. Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey told reporters about two weeks ago that the team hopes to “work things out” with restricted free agent Quentin Grimes. Hunter Sallis, Dominick Barlow and Jabari Walker currently fill the Sixers’ three two-way contract slots. 

Kings star DeMar DeRozan reveals ‘cheat code' to his elite mid-range game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Kings star DeMar DeRozan led the NBA’s rotation players with 34.3 percent of his 22.2 points per game coming from the mid-range during the 2024-25 season. That is no surprise to anyone who has watched him throughout his previous 16 campaigns.

DeRozan revealed how he learned to perfect his mid-range game in appearing on retired NBA icon and fellow mid-range maestro Carmelo Anthony’s “7 PM in Brooklyn” podcast on Thursday.

“It started out with me just being a student first,” DeRozan said. “I had the luxury at 16, 17 years old, to work with Kobe [Bryant]. I had that cheat code to really just sit there and lock in, listen to him, really break down details and small movements and learning how to play in a phone booth and get your shot off. I learned that early on.”

DeRozan, a native of Compton in Los Angeles County, had every up-and-coming hooper’s dream teacher to study under to perfect the art of the mid-range. And if you’ve watched DeRozan’s game, you’d know that his style is very reminiscent of the late great, with great emphasis on footwork and poise in contested spaces.

But DeRozan’s younger lessons didn’t stop at studying under Bryant. They spanned idolizing several classic NBA names, some of which he listed off the top of his head on Anthony’s podcast.

“I was just a student of how guys were able to create space, get their shots off — whether you were small or big,” DeRozan said. “I remember talking to Sam Cassell when I was 15. He used to show me the bump, shot fake [into] over right-shoulder fadeaway; he showed me all of that. Cuttino Mobley — how one dribble, hesitating, pulling up; I paid attention. Even Andre Miller, he wasn’t athletic at all, but he had the hesi in there, getting to the basket, getting his shot off. 

“I paid attention to guys like that. So now, when I incorporate that into being 6’6” [or] 6’7”, athletic, this … now I got a little bit more of a cheat code, if they’re able to do that with lack of size, athleticism, whatever it may be. And I just try to incorporate that. I’ve done that with everything. My first year in the league, I had Alex English as an assistant coach. I used to sit with him all the time and [ask], ‘Yo, how do you do this?’ He had that one-dribble pull-up; you couldn’t block it, every time.”

Cassell. Mobley. Miller. English.

DeRozan was spoiled with mentors early in his career. Though he concluded his answer by explaining how Bryant helped him lay the groundwork for what became a career of mid-range excellence.

“Me being a student and having a cheat code of being able to work with my idol when it comes to basketball, it just made me pay attention to even more detail in a way,” DeRozan concluded.

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast

Warriors star Steph Curry reveals which NBA player has highest basketball IQ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Warriors superstar Steph Curry enters his 17th NBA season having played with and against some of the greatest basketball players of all time.

So, who would he consider to be the hooper with the highest on-court IQ? The 37-year-old revealed his answer to Complex’s Speedy Morman on Thursday.

“Between [Chris Paul] and [LeBron James] — those two,” Curry told Morman.

No shockers there.

Paul and James have undoubtedly been hailed as two of the NBA’s brightest players throughout their combined 2,916 career regular-season games played. Each can facilitate offenses like no other and always has been an extension of their coaching staff.

Curry has a great perspective on each player. He has been a longtime rival of both with Golden State, having defeated their various teams en route to championships. He, too, has played on the Warriors with Paul and on Team USA Basketball with James.

“It’s the way they play, obviously, but the way they talk, the way they can kind of orchestrate an offense [and] control it,” Curry told Morman. “Like, Bron is the one who can control the tempo the greatest.

“And CP’s the one that, every possession, knows what he’s trying to get out of it. At his peak, it was insane; he could get his bucket and get somebody a lob or drop-down pass; he knew what play; the timing was cool; all that type of stuff.”

Curry has much respect for Paul and James. And one day, they will have spots in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame together, largely due to their unique basketball minds.

But Curry mentioned one more name when finishing his answer to Morman — his longtime Golden State teammate and fellow future Hall of Famer, Draymond Green.

“Those two are top of mind with the highest IQ,” Curry reiterated about Paul and James to Morman. “And obviously Draymond. That’s like the podium for me.”

Green’s on-court smarts might be lesser known to NBA fans outside of Dub Nation. Curry knows how much of a genius his running mate is, though, which is all that matters.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga trade price reportedly falls on three items originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors remain particular in their asking price for a potential trade package including Jonathan Kuminga.

As the stare-off continues nearly four weeks into free agency between both sides, it’s been well-reported that both the Kings and Phoenix Suns have been the most aggressive to acquire the young forward.

But Golden State hasn’t been moved by any offers thus far, and is asking for three main items in a potential return.

“There’s definitely a lot of asset management going on behind the scenes with this entire situation,” ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported Friday on “The Hoop Collective” podcast. “Part of the reason a sign-and-trade hasn’t gotten done for Kuminga, particularly the Kings and Suns I would say have been the most aggressive, is because the Warriors have been pretty steadfast in their requirement of at least a first-round pick.

“They also want a young player and they don’t want to take on bad contracts.”

Sacramento offered second-year guard Devin Carter, big man Dario Šarić and two second-round draft picks to Golden State earlier this month in exchange for Kuminga, sources told NBC Sports California’s Tristi Rodriguez.

It is unclear at this time if the Kings sent a revised offer to their Northern California neighbors, as several reports indicate Golden State has interest in young Kings players Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis.

Kuminga met with Kings general manager Scott Perry, assistant GM B.J. Armstrong and coach Doug Christie earlier this week, Slater also reported Friday, and the 22-year-old is “open-minded” to the idea of joining Sacramento after hearing Perry’s promising pitch.

In four seasons with Golden State, Kuminga has averaged 15.3 points on 45.4 percent shooting, with 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

Four seasons have been ample time for both sides to realize they might not be a match, but that doesn’t mean the Warriors will rush or change their asking price for their athletic young wing.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga reportedly ‘open-minded' to idea of joining Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Kings and Phoenix Suns have been the strongest pursuers of Jonathan Kuminga, and apparently, the Warriors forward wouldn’t mind moving 80 miles northeast.

Kuminga met with Sacramento’s brass this week, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported Friday on ESPN 1320 Sacramento, and the 22-year-old had a good discussion with general manager Scott Perry, assistant GM B.J. Armstrong and coach Doug Christie.

“Kuminga had contact with the Kings in the last couple of days,” Slater said. “It was the first time he met Scott Perry, and this wasn’t in person, but it’s the first time he’s communicated with Scott Perry, Doug Christie and B.J. Armstrong. And from what I’ve gathered, he liked the pitch that Scott Perry gave. He’s open-minded to the idea of Sacramento.

“I think part of that — I know part of that pitch — is you’re talking starting role, you’re talking bigger opportunity than the Warriors are necessarily offering right now. And I think that’s the part that shouldn’t get lost in this situation. Jonathan Kuminga isn’t just looking for the exact contract he wants in free agency. He’s looking for the opportunity he wants on the court.”

The Warriors’ offseason essentially has been put on pause until there is a resolution to the Kuminga situation, which has dragged nearly four weeks into free agency.

Sacramento made an offer to Golden State earlier this month, which sources told NBC Sports California’s Tristi Rodriguez included the Kings sending second-year NBA guard Devin Carter, big man Dario Šarić and two second-round draft picks to the Warriors in exchange for Kuminga.

The Warriors appear to be unmoved by the Kings’ offer, or anyone else’s thus far.

Golden State selected Kuminga with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, and while the 22-year-old showed flashes of potential, he has never been a perfect fit alongside Steph Curry, and that only intensified with the integration of Jimmy Butler at the end of last season.

In four seasons with Golden State, Kuminga has averaged 15.3 points on 45.4 percent shooting, with 4.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

As Slater attested to, he is seeking a larger role than Warriors coach Steve Kerr has given him, and he could be the perfect addition for the team up the road that has longed for a young, athletic wing to complement Keegan Murray.

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast

Why tempered expectations for retooling Celtics are worth embracing originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

In an offseason full of painful departures for the Boston Celtics, there’s one change that actually might make the 2025-26 season more enjoyable than most currently anticipate: the absence of expectations.

After multiple seasons weighed down by championship-or-bust outlooks, a new-look Celtics squad is set to enter a season where it will be virtually impossible not to exceed most prognostications. The pendulum has swung so viciously that the team can endure the obvious bumps ahead in the road but embrace the little victories along the way.

You have to go back to the 2016-17 season to find the last time the Celtics were this devoid of expectations. That year, the Celtics jumped on the back of Isaiah Thomas, got a boost from the veteran addition of Al Horford, and watched a ragtag collection of role players pile up an Eastern Conference-best 53 wins before advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

It remains one of our favorite seasons, jockeying with the 2024 title team in terms of sheer enjoyment. Thomas blossoming from a Sixth Man into a top-five MVP candidate certainly injected joy, but so did watching how the likes of Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk thrived in their roles, all while Brad Stevens pushed the right buttons to get the most from a team that trekked to the East Finals against a peak-of-his-powers LeBron James.

Could the 2025-26 Celtics have a similar glow up?

OK, maybe a deep playoff trek is ambitious. But we’d submit that this year’s team with Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard at the helm might have more top-end talent than that 2016-17 group. You can fret over the potential depth of this squad, but 1) We don’t suspect this is a finished roster, and 2) Gerald Green was starting key playoff games for the 2016-17 group, so it wasn’t like that team was swimming in depth, either. James Young and Jordan Mickey combined to play 54 games that year.

Sure, the 2025-26 Celtics have a rather obvious void at the big-man position after the departures of Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet, and, presumably soon, Horford. But the 2016-17 Celtics squeezed 77 starts and 1,600-plus minutes out of Amir Johnson.

The margin for error for the 2025-26 Celtics is razor-thin. If Brown tweaks a hamstring or White turns an ankle, then winning games could be a real challenge. Regardless of how competitive they are out of the gates, the Celtics will lean heavier into development than they have in recent seasons with hopes that some pain points this season will aid the team when Jayson Tatum is back at full health.

Vegas prognosticators currently project the 2025-26 Celtics at 43.5 wins. That slots them seventh in the East behind the Cavaliers (55.5), Knicks (52.5), Magic (51.5), Hawks 46.5), Pistons (45.5), and Bucks (44.5).

No one yearns to be a play-in team. And there’s absolutely a case to be made that, if Boston is trending in that direction before the trade deadline, leaning even further into a youth movement and other priorities (like getting below the luxury tax) ought to be a priority.

But it is going to be refreshing to watch games and just embrace the small victories. Maybe Brown blossoms in the 1A role and returns to All-NBA form. Maybe White lands that elusive All-Star nod. Maybe Pritchard morphs from Sixth Man of the Year into a legitimate starting-level guard.

More important might be the development of role players who will comprise the future core of this team.

Can recent first-round draft picks Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman use the 2025-26 season to prove they can eventually hold rotation roles on a title-contending team? Can Neemias Queta and Luka Garza evolve their games given the void in Boston’s frontcourt? Is Josh Minott capable of thriving in an expanded opportunity with the Celtics?

A quick aside here, too: Maybe it’s time Celtics fans embrace Georges Niang. The consternation with his addition, especially given his roots here, has been a little bizarre.

Yes, he put himself in the crosshairs a couple seasons ago by grabbing at Jaylen Brown’s knee during a game. Brown and Niang crossed paths at a WNBA game at the Garden last week and there didn’t look like there was any lingering animosity.

We also love how Niang acknowledged the fan angst, noting on a podcast last week: “You know how tough Boston fans are. They don’t give a s— if I’m from Boston or not. They’re like, ‘You just took our unicorn and replaced it with a minivan. Get the f— out of here!’ I’m like public enemy No. 1. They’re like, ‘What is this? This ain’t shiny, man, this got scratches on it, man.’”

Is Niang a long-term piece for this team? Probably not. But if this team is going to outkick expectations, he could be a big part of what’s ahead. If nothing else, he has an expiring — and very tradable — salary that could help future roster constructions. His self awareness, combined with his play style, ought to win over fans quickly.

All of which is our long-winded way of saying: Enjoy the ride. Expectations are going to spike the very second Tatum is back on a basketball court. We’ve been spoiled by the success of this team over the past decade — especially in recent seasons — but there’s nothing wrong with embracing a potential gap year.

We think there’s a very real chance this team performs well beyond expectations at the start of the season. Things might go sideways due to injuries or letting younger players take their lumps, but there are long-term benefits if that happens, too.

The Celtics have created flexibility with their roster. After waiving JD Davison on Thursday, the team is back below the second apron and carries an open roster spot. The team can lean into various pathways during the season, if potential roster moves don’t materialize sooner.

It’s easy to be discouraged by the talent drain. The Celtics needed to get their finances in order, and Tatum’s injury only made that a slightly easier to embrace. The absence of expectations is going to change the way we view games. It’s less about wins and losses and more about the process.

Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Steph Curry recalls hilarious hairstyle superstition from 2020-21 NBA season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry opened the 2020-21 NBA season with a new hairstyle that didn’t last very long.

The Warriors superstar rocked cornrows for the first three games of the campaign, but, as he explained in a recent interview with Complex’s Speedy Morman — never again.

“What a time that was. Coming out of COVID, I had the struggle braids where I had just enough to close it up,” Curry told Morman. “And then I started the year, I don’t know what my percentage was, like high 20s, low 30s maybe. Everyone who knows how superstitious I am, I remember where I was. I was in Chicago, in our hotel after we lost to Brooklyn and we lost to Milwaukee the first two games of that season. I’m in the hotel taking out my own braids. I didn’t have my barber with me, I didn’t have anything. I just let it hang.

“And then I got hot in Chicago, and that crept. I kept that haircut — the nasiest haircut I’ve ever had — it was like a mushroom top, half-fro, half I don’t know, whatever. And when I had 62 [point], I still had that cut. That was like two weeks later. So braids to not, I won’t ever have them again — just off of that. It was a [two]-game stretch. Horrible.”

Curry, the greatest shooter to grace the game of basketball, opened that season shooting just 13-of-38 (34.2 percent) from the field and 4-of-20 (20 percent) from 3-point range.

Against the Bulls, Curry dropped 36 points on 11-of-25 shooting (44 percent) from the field and 5 of 15 (33.3 percent) from distance.

Three games later, as he mentioned, he scored his career-high 62 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, shooting an incredible 18-of-31 (58.1 percent) from the field and 8 of 16 (50 percent) from beyond the arc.

To this day, that remains the most points he’s scored in a single contest.

It is safe to say Cornrow Curry is a thing of the past.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Warriors' Steph Curry admits he has eye on NBA's top-10 all-time scoring list originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry isn’t one to chase records, but he’d be lying if he said one in particular wasn’t in the back of his mind as he approaches Year 17 in the NBA.

Curry continues to creep up the NBA’s all-time scoring list, passing Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West in April for the 24th spot. Of the 23 players in front of him, only four — LeBron James (No. 1), Kevin Durant (No. 8), James Harden (No. 11) and Russell Westbrook (No. 20) — currently are active.

The Warriors superstar admitted reaching the top-10 is something he has his eye on — and something not far out of reach.

“I wouldn’t say I don’t care. I do the math every once in a while,” Curry told Complex’s Speedy Mormon in a recent interview. “Every time you catch somebody and they do the thing in the arenas like, ‘Oh, congratulations, you passed Jerry West,’ which was a special one for me, that’s when you’re like, oh, how far can I go? So I do the math. If I average 20-something [points], two and a half seasons, I’m playing 70 games, I do that math all the time just to get in your head how long do you have to play and to what level to catch the top of that list?

“But after I do that, I don’t think about it again until the next time it happens. So it’s just a fun way to keep yourself in the moment and give yourself, for a hot second, something to look forward to. But that’s not why I’ll keep going. It’s more that I want to get to a level where we’re competing and playing for championships.”

Curry currently boasts 25,386 points to his name, which is 2,903 points away from the No. 10 spot, currently occupied by Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame forward Carmelo Anthony (28,289).

He is 819 points away from the No. 20 spot and 1,324 points away from the No. 15 spot.

Never say never when it comes to Curry.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Celtics waive JD Davison, get back under second apron originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

On Thursday, the Boston Celtics announced they have waived 22-year-old guard JD Davison.

Davison spent the first three years of his NBA career as a two-way player for Boston. The Celtics had converted his two-way contract to a standard two-year deal in April and picked up his team option for the 2025-26 campaign in June.

Parting ways with Davison puts the Celtics back under the second apron of the luxury tax. Boston now has an open roster spot, though any addition would put the organization back over the second apron.

The Celtics initially selected Davison in the second round (53rd) of the 2022 NBA Draft. The Alabama product appeared in only 16 games for Boston last season, averaging 2.1 points over 5.8 minutes per game. However, he thrived with the Maine Celtics in the NBA G League, averaging 25.1 points, 7.6 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game to earn G League MVP honors.

Davison earned a championship ring with the Celtics in 2024. After appearing in only 36 games over three years with Boston, he should have a chance to earn more playing time with a new team for next season and beyond.

A call came from Luka Doncic a couple of times, at first making Marcus Smart think it wasn’t true and then eventually making him believe that Doncic was a Lakers salesman and that he wanted Smart to be a part of what they were building here in Los Angeles.

It wasn’t like they had a strong “relationship,” but Smart said he and Doncic have “a mutual understanding and respect for each other” from meeting on the court in past seasons.

So, when the calls came while Smart was training while trying to figure out his next move after he had agreed to a contract buyout from the Washington Wizards, he was swayed by Doncic to join the Lakers after clearing waivers.

Smart, who signed a two-year deal for $11 million with the Lakers, with a player option for the second season, smiled as he told the stories during his introductory news conference Tuesday about talking to Doncic and being persuaded to join him and LeBron James.

“It first came, my agent, I’m working out, and I get a call from my agent saying, you know, ‘Hey Luka reached out.’ And I’m like ‘yeah whatever’ you know?’ Like all right,” Smart said at the Lakers’ practice facility. “And then another day, same thing — Luka reached out again and now it’s real. It’s no longer what-ifs. It’s real and it’s something we need to talk about. And that was a great feeling, like I said, and that’s kind of what kind of got things going for me to be here and I’m excited to be here.”

The Lakers were in need of a point-of-attack perimeter defender such as Smart, especially with Dorian Finney-Smith going to Houston.

Read more:Newest Laker Deandre Ayton is ready to prove the doubters wrong

Smart was the NBA’s defensive player of the year in 2022 when he played for the Boston Celtics and has been on the NBA’s All-Defensive first team three times.

Knowing that Doncic and James are “two greats with [the] greatest basketball IQs that I’ve ever seen in this era” made it easy for Smart to become their teammates.

“And when you get a guy like Luka, calling, referencing, checking on you, trying to see where you at to see if you want to come and join something special that he’s trying to cook up over here,” Smart said. “And for him to say that he can really use my help, that meant a lot. Played against Luka a lot. Been on a lot of opposing ends of Luka magic. And to be able to come out and be on his side at this time, it means a lot.”

Doncic has a decision to make with the Lakers.

On Aug. 2, Doncic and the Lakers can talk about a contract extension.

He can sign a four-year deal for $224 million or a three-year deal for $161 million with a player option in 2028, which would then allow Doncic to sign a max deal in 2028 that would give him 35% of the salary cap for that season.

Meanwhile, Smart was asked what kind of recruiter is Doncic.

“It’s the same. He’s a competitor. He’s just the same way. He has that competitive nature when he’s talking,” Smart said. “He’s intrigued and that’s it. He didn’t really have to say much. Luka, his name, his ability, what he has done, [speaks] for himself. And for me, like I said, I’ve been on the other end of Luka magic. So to be able to come and join and see it and witness it on the other side is something that I was like, ‘why not give it a shot?’”

Smart, 31, played in only 54 games the last two seasons, injuries costing him time that he spent both with the Memphis Grizzlies and Wizards. In the 34 games he played between both teams, Smart averaged 9.0 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and shot 34.8% from three-point range.

“Yeah, I’m very motivated. You know, the last two years, for me, was in my eyes, a disappointment,” Smart said. “Injuries kind of stopped me and held me back. But like I told my wife and my family, you know, everything happens for a reason. And it’s funny that 12 years ago, I could have been here [with the Lakers] and now it’s full circle and I’m here. And like I said, everything happens for a reason. And I just look at those reasons was for me to be here, to not play for people to look at me and say, ‘you know what, maybe he isn’t the same?’ And now that allows me to be in a place where I’m supposed to be.”

Smart was at his best with the Celtics, where he spent nine years and reached the playoffs every year, including reaching the NBA Finals in 2022.

Over the course of his 11 seasons in the NBA, Smart averaged 10.6 points per game, 3.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists.

The Lakers were 50-32 last season, but lost in the first round of the playoffs.

But he knows the Lakers are about winning championships and the chance to play with Doncic and James in high-stakes basketball games played a part in his decision as well.

“It’s at the top,” Smart said. “I mean, the main goal, the reason you go out and you compete the way you compete is to try to win championships and what better place to be able to do that than here, where the show starts and where the show ends. So, that was definitely a big part of it, being able to get back on that stage, being able to get to a team that definitely could use me and I know I can make an impact and I can help as well and that was a perfect fit here.”

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.